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Champions League play-off number crunching

The UEFA Champions League play-off draw has been made and UEFA.com looks at which clubs, nations and players have thrived since the round was introduced.

Prolific play-off specialists Dinamo Zagreb
Prolific play-off specialists Dinamo Zagreb ©AFP/Getty Images

Key facts

  • Twice teams have gone from the play-offs to the semis: Bayern in 2012 and Lyon in 2010
  • APOEL in 2012 are the only side to reach the quarter-finals from the champions route
  • Celtic in 2013 most recent of four teams to make the last 16 from the champions route
  • Dundalk first Irish side in play-offs, 35th nation to be represented
  • Legia Warszawa hope to be first Poland team to win a play-off
  • 28 different countries have had play-off winners – six for England, Germany and Spain

Best performing play-off winners each season
2015/16: Bayer Leverkusen/Manchester United/Valencia, group stage third place/UEFA Europa League round of 16
2014/15: Arsenal/Bayer Leverkusen, round of 16
2013/14: AC Milan/Arsenal/Schalke 04/Zenit, round of 16
2012/13: Málaga, quarter-finals
2011/12: Bayern München, semi-finals
2010/11: Tottenham Hotspur, quarter-finals
2009/10: Olympique Lyonnais, semi-finals

Best performing champions route teams each season
2015/16: All 5 teams finished fourth in group
2014/15: All 5 teams finished fourth in group
2013/14: Basel, group stage third place/UEFA Europa League quarter-finals
2012/13: Celtic, round of 16
2011/12: APOEL, quarter-finals
2010/11: FC København, round of 16
2009/10: Olympiacos, round of 16

Play-offs: best and worst seasons
2011/12: Five of ten sides got past group stage, four as group winners
2009/10, 2013/14: Four league route teams made it to the round of 16
2010/11, 2012/13: Only two clubs (one from each route) advanced out of their groups
2014/15: All five champions route winners finished fourth in their groups
2015/16: None of the ten teams reached the round of 16

BATE equalled Arsenal's tally of four play-off wins last season
BATE equalled Arsenal's tally of four play-off wins last season©AFP/Getty Images

Most play-off wins by club (max 7)
Arsenal, BATE Borisov 4 (both from four attempts)
APOEL, Dinamo Zagreb 3

Most goals
Dinamo Zagreb 16

Penalty shoot-outs
2014/15: Ludogorets Razgrad 6-5 Steaua Bucureşti (after two 1-0 home wins)
2012/13: Udinese 4-5 Braga (after two 1-1 draws)
2011/12: Genk 4-1 Maccabi Haifa (after two 2-1 home wins)
2010/11: Anderlecht 2-3 Partizan (after two 2-2 draws)

FCK fell to Leverkusen 12 months ago
FCK fell to Leverkusen 12 months ago©Getty Images

Most play-off participations by club
Celtic*, FC København* 6
APOEL*, Dinamo Zagreb* 5

League stats:
Most different national representatives
Italy*, Spain 7*
Germany* 6
Israel*, Portugal*, Russia* 5

Most participations by nation
Denmark, Portugal*, France*, Germany*, Italy*, Spain*, Switzerland* 8
Austria*, England*, Russia* 7

Málaga beat Panathinaikos and made the 2011/12 last eight
Málaga beat Panathinaikos and made the 2011/12 last eight©AFP/Getty Images

Most play-off wins by nation
England, Germany, Spain 6
Belarus, France, Portugal, Russia, 4
Croatia, Cyprus, Israel, Switzerland 3
Belgium, Czech Republic, Italy, Romania, Scotland, Sweden, Ukraine 2
Austria, Bulgaria, Denmark, Greece, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia 1

Entries in play-offs without victory
Turkey 3
Moldova, Poland 2
Albania, Latvia, Norway 1

Player stats:
Most appearances

Claudemir (FC København/Club Brugge) 9
Scott Brown (Celtic), Mathias Jørgensen (PSV Eindhoven/FC København), Mikael Lustig (Rosenborg/Celtic), Nuno Morais (APOEL), Vital Radzivonau (BATE Borisov), Johan Wiland (FC København/Malmö) 8

Most goals
Lisandro (Lyon), Markus Rosenberg (Werder Bremen/Malmö), Eran Zahavi (Hapoel Tel-Aviv/Maccabi Tel-Aviv) 4

*Includes 2016/17